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Odisha Part 8: The Parasurameshwara Temple, Bhubaneshwar

The Parasurameshwara temple is one of the oldest temples in Bhubaneshwar, dating back to the early 8 th century CE. It is also one of the more intriguing temples, with a wide variety of very interesting sculptures. This temple has been attributed to the Shailodbhavas , who were Shaivites. The dynasty is named for their founder, Shailodbhava, who is said to have emerged from a rock, by the grace of Lord Shiva, in response to a prayer by a man from Kalinga, to create a man capable of ruling the earth. That this temple is dedicated to Shiva is clear, not only from the Shaiva dwarapalas who guard the entrance, but also from the numerous sculptures depicting Shiva in his many forms. However, what makes this temple very interesting is the presence of multiple images of the goddesses, especially the Saptamatrikas. The presence of different forms of the goddess, a panel depicting the marriage of Shiva and Parvati, as well as an image of Ardhanareeshwara suggest a strong Shakta influence o...
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Faces in the Crowd - Children at Work

We saw these boys on the way to Wayanad, but this scene could have been anywhere in India.



Two boys, hard at work, cleaning a pump, outside a garage. Its always sad to see young children in rags, working, at an age when they should be at school, or playing. Its worse when they are right outside a college, to which, in all possibility, people pay lakhs to get their kids into, and then the said kids waste away their time learning little if nothing, throwing away their parents' hard earned money in frivolous pursuits. Could there be a higher contrast?

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  1. IndraniSeptember 15, 2013 at 1:09 PM

    Hmmm... tough life!
    Nicely framed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MridulaSeptember 15, 2013 at 2:14 PM

    Life anywhere you go it roughly remains the same :(

    ReplyDelete
  3. kebhariSeptember 16, 2013 at 2:18 PM

    Children worked life is very dangerous.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ChitraxeeSeptember 16, 2013 at 2:57 PM

    We invite you to Aviva's #BloggerContest. To read our T&C and participate, click on http://bit.ly/134qouZ !

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nomad Travel InsuranceSeptember 17, 2013 at 9:59 AM

    Thanks for sharing your one of a kind adventure. :)

    ReplyDelete

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